1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to cords that are mechanical and/or electrical in nature and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for wrapping the cord around a reel, as for purposes of wire management.
2. Background Art
There are myriad different environments in which flexible cords are used. In certain applications, a cord of a specific maximum length is required. However, the particular object at the end of the cord may be used in a manner that the full length of the cord is not required. In those instances when less than the full length of the cord is demanded, it is desirable that the unused length thereof be controlled so that it does not hamper use of the associated object, tangle, or otherwise interfere in the particular environment.
In some environments, such as at a point-of-purchase display wherein security systems with many cords associated with a plurality of objects are used, the ability to “manage” these cords is critical. In the absence of some “wire management” capability, these systems may become difficult to use, potentially to the point of being impractical.
In the security industry, a number of mechanisms have been devised for rewinding cords, for purposes of wire management. These rewinding mechanisms are used on security cords that are both electrical and mechanical in nature.
In a purely mechanical system, a cord that is resistant to being cut is wound in a housing. The free end of the cord is attached, through any of a number of end connectors, to an object being monitored. A reel within the housing, about which the cord is wound, is normally biased in rotation in such a manner as to draw the cord back into the housing. The potential purchaser is allowed to pick up the object that is tethered through the cord and pull the same against a winding force produced on the reel. Once the force generated by the user is released, the cord is retracted up to a point that the object can be placed in a convenient display position.
The assignee herein is the owner of U.S. Pat. No. Re. 37,590, which is directed to a system for rewinding a cord that is integrated into an electrical circuit for monitoring portable articles. Systems made according to this invention have been highly commercially successful in terms of their wire management capabilities. Utilizing the structure in U.S. Pat. No. Re. 37,590, an electronic alarm system can be incorporated to alert systems operators of a breach. An object with which the end of the cord is associated can be repositioned within a range dictated by the length of the cord against a withdrawing force tending to rewind the cord upon a reel. As with the aforemetioned mechanical cord, the object associated therewith can be repositioned by a potential consumer and thereafter replaced on a display, as an incident of which the cord will be rewound to minimize the presence of cord that is prone to tangling with other cords or system components.
Flexible cords are used in many other environments that vary in terms of the nature of the article associated with the end of the cord and its size and weight. The nature of the article will also dictate the requirements of the cord both in an electrical and mechanical sense.
Consequently, the mechanisms that rewind cords must often be customized based on the particular environment. In some applications, a relatively strong rewinding force on the cords is required, whereas in other applications, a significantly lesser force is appropriate. Even in a single application, different winding characteristics may be called for and may have to be balanced on a case-by-case basis. As just one example, certain consumer articles and displays are such that it is appropriate to allow the articles thereon to be moved by a potential consumer within a substantial range so as to be operated or to allow inspection. At the same time, it is desirable that the cord be positively withdrawn with a force that does not cause it to be pulled out of a user's grasp or pulled with an excessive force back to a display position. A given display may have articles with different sizes and weights calling for different cord rewinding forces and capabilities.
Consequently, these rewinding mechanisms have generally been customized based on the specific application. On a mass production basis, this generally requires that assembly lines be dedicated to making specific products based upon the requisite rewinding force. This is an inconvenience in terms of both manufacturing and inventory control, both at point of manufacture and potentially for the end user.